


Before the Clock Strikes Twelve

by reylotrash711



Series: reylotrash711's one shots [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ball, F/M, Fluff, Gingerflower, Love at First Sight, M/M, Masked ball, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Slow Dancing, Stormpilot, Strangers to Lovers, This is trash, like really trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reylotrash711/pseuds/reylotrash711
Summary: Ben has been dragged to a masked ball for New Year's Eve. The evening is turning out to be pretty crap until a woman sits down next to him and he quickly becomes entranced by her.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Kylo Ren
Series: reylotrash711's one shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588801
Comments: 12
Kudos: 147





	Before the Clock Strikes Twelve

**Author's Note:**

> So here's some fluffy Reylo for everyone still crying over TROS. 
> 
> Anyway
> 
> Happy New Year to you all, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and that you have an amazing 2020!  
> This work is unbetad so I apologize for my mistakes!  
> Check out the Spotify playlist for the story here:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2R0bSmo7dzqgurdGOu8Vhy?si=Lhmzi0d2S9CxJEhFTNOs6Q

It had been Rose’s idea to attend a masked ball of New Year’s Eve. She had dragged Ben along with the rest of the group despite the fact he had insisted that he preferred to stay home and get a reasonably early night after watching the ball drop. Unfortunately, he had chosen to argue with Rose about it when his mother was in the room. She, of course, took Rose’s eyes, telling her son that it would be a wonderful opportunity to ‘meet new people’. Ben had rolled his eyes at the comment, he knew exactly what his mother meant. She wanted her son to find love, to marry and most importantly, give her some grandchildren. 

Ben wasn’t the romantic type. Sure he dated, sometimes spending the night with a woman but deleting her number from his contacts the next day but it had been years since he’d been in a relationship that lasted longer than three months. He’d come to terms with the fact that he would live a lonely existence once his friends had started to meet their partners or in his friend Poe’s case, husband. 

The idea of a ball sounded pretty ridiculous to him, it sounded something pathetic put of a fairytale. The event was being hosted by Rose’s boss Amilyn Holdo (who happened to be a friend of his mother’s). Holdo had invited half the company to the wretched party and Rose had convinced her friends to come along. 

Poe had been easy to convince, and if Poe was going his husband Finn was definitely going, although Ben had a strong suspicion that Finn was as excited as his husband. Rose was bringing her boyfriend Armitage Hux. Ben had been friends with Hux for years and had introduced them to each other. When they announced they were moving into together, Ben couldn’t of been happier for two of his closest friends. But that left him on his own without a date on New Year’s. Poe had tried to set him up with women from his office but Ben had politely declined, he’d rather get utterly wasted and forget about how alone he was. 

Rose and Armitage picked him up at nine, Armitage had decided to take on for the team and be designated driver for the group. As soon as he got in the car, Rose had started chatting excitedly about how much fun they were all going to have, Ben couldn’t help but silently disagree. Once they had picked up Finn and Poe they made their way to the ball. Part of him couldn’t believe he had agreed to it, a ball? Fairytales weren’t real, the story didn’t end in true love’s kiss. The group often teased him for being so moody and judgemental, Ben just thought he was honest and realistic. 

When they had entered the ballroom Rose turned to the group handing them their masks, “RIght rule is that everyone must wear their masks until midnight.” she explained, “Then when the clock strikes 12, everyone takes them off and reveals their identities to each other.” Poe let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back, “Well this will be fun then.” he said. Ben rolled his eyes still unsure what the point of the whole event. To allude to the fairytale of meeting your Prince or Princess? That you would magically fall in love over the course of a couple of hours, or be swept up in a fantasy where everyone lived happily ever after?

They put on their masks the group quickly dispersed. Rose dragged Armitage to the center of the floor to dance, a bright smile painted across her face. Poe and Finn opted to go to the bar where they bumped into two people who Ben recognized to be Kaydel Ko Connix and Temmin (better known as Snap) Wexley, two people who worked alongside Poe and Ben in his mother’s company. It seemed as though half of New York were in one ballroom, people were dancing, laughing and drinking extensive amounts of alcohol. 

Ben walked around the edges of the party, a glass of champagne as he watched his friends enjoy the celebration. He didn’t care much for New Year, it just felt like another Tuesday. With a tired sigh, he sat down at an empty table, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes in an attempt to drown out the loud music. He briefly wondered if this would ever end. 

“Is this seat taken?”

Ben opened his eyes to see a woman standing in front of him, gesturing to the seat next to him. He shook his head. She was dressed in a light pink dress, one that had a natural flow to it as she moved. Her white mask complimented it perfectly, it was simply and understated unlike some of the ridiculously ornate ones he had seen around the ballroom. “Thank god,” she said slumping into the chair and reaching down to her feet. Ben watched her curiously as she undid her silver heels before yanking them off to reveal her sore feet. He chuckled as she let out a sigh of relief at her feet being freed from their prisons. “Is something funny?” she asked, her manner annoyed and slightly frustrated that he was finding humor in her misfortune. 

Ben shrugged, “Nothing, thought your reaction was humorous.” he said before taking another sip of his champagne. The women scoffed, “I’d like to see you try and dance in heels.” she said matter of factly.

“Oh you wouldn’t catch me dancing, even if I were barefoot,” Ben stated. The woman raised an eyebrow if he could see beyond her mask he had no doubt that she would be sending him a look of curiosity. “If you won’t be dancing, why on earth did you come to a ball?” she asked.

“I was forced by my friends to attend, even my mother helped them to persuade me,” he said grumpily, arms folded across his chest as he scowled like a child. The women laughed, “I’m guessing this isn’t your thing either then.” she said.

Ben nodded, “The whole happily ever after, fairytale nonsense is irritating.” he said looking around the room at the happy couples, all of whom were lost in the eyes of their partners. He noticed that Finn and Poe had join Rose and Armitage in the center of the ballroom. Ben’s lips turned into a small smile as he watched his friends, no matter how torturous the night was for him, he was glad that his friends were happy. 

“Happily Ever After is far from the reality of life.” said the women, taking the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket in the center of the table and pouring herself a very large glass, “I broke up with my Prince Charming ten minutes ago,” she said taking a big sip from her glass before refilling it. “I am sorry to hear that,” Ben said, slightly sympathetic at the women’s situation. 

The women shrugged, “Don’t be, it was pretty much over anyway, I caught him necking on with some whore in the corridor.” she said bitterly. 

“Do you need me to go and punch him?” Ben asked. The women laughed and shook her head before leaning back in her chair, “No, believe me, he is not worth it.” she explained. She looked out at the couples dancing and Ben couldn’t help but sense her loneliness, maybe part of her understood how he felt. 

“Besides,” she said somewhat sarcastically, “Who needs a date on New Year’s?”

Ben sighed, placing down his empty glass, “Well you aren’t the only one alone tonight.” he said, a slight sadness in his tone. 

The women turned to him, “I take it you don’t have a date either.” Ben raised an eyebrow, “Can you not see that I’m sitting alone drinking away my sorrows?” She laughed, taking the bottle and handing it to him. Ben accepted it gladly, moving to refill his glass. 

“I wouldn’t lose all hope,” she said, “You never know, maybe your fairytale ending is just late,” she suggested. 

“And that’s coming from the person who just said that Happily Ever After is far from the reality of life.” Ben pointed out, throwing her own words back at her. 

“That doesn’t mean we can’t dream.” she said with a shrug, “I like to believe that universe gives us all more than one shot at true love.” True love. It’s not that Ben didn’t believe in love, it’s just that he had never come across it. His parents had spent most of his childhood screaming at each other and he had doubted that they truly loved each other on many occasions. But maybe this woman was right, maybe would give him a chance. A voice in the back of his mind whispered treacherously that maybe this was his chance. 

He looked over at the women who had sat down next to him, he had known her less than an hour and already she had intrigued him. “Do you believe in love?” he asked curiously, taking even himself by surprise. It was the champagne. Yup, definitely the champagne. “I think so.” she said thoughtfully, “Although I have very little experience with it.”

“Did you love him, the bastard you just broke up with?” he asked. 

The women laughed, Ben found he liked her laugh, it was sweet. “You’re very forward aren’t you?” she pointed out.

Ben leaned forward in his chair slightly, “I’m not usually like this, it’s the champagne.” 

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously, “Right okay then.” she said giving him a sly smirk that made Ben slightly nervous. He needed to get a grip, he was usually very intimidating, not the nervous wreck he was quickly turning into in front of a woman he barely knew. 

“In all honesty, I didn’t love him we were only together four months.” she said, snapping him out of the nervous trance she had inflicted on him, “But I thought there was something special there you know? That there was a chance.” she looked down at her glass that rested in her hands on her lap.

Maybe he had drunk too much because Ben said, “He’s a prick, you deserve so much better than him.” He usually didn’t care for other people’s love lives (except of course his close friends). But he felt a great deal of sympathy for these women. Just like him, she was alone on New Year’s Eve, watching everyone else have a good time. 

She gave him a small smile before turning to the large clock on the back wall, “Well it’s 20 minutes go and neither of us has stepped out onto the dance floor.” she said getting to her feet.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she stepped in front of him, offering him her hand.

“Asking you to dance, I’ve taken pity on you and this will probably be the only chance you get this evening so I suggest you take it,” she said. 

Ben paused, considering her offer. This woman was nice, had a sense of humor and wasn’t irritating like most of the women he had gone on dates with. She wasn’t asking him to be her Prince Charming, she was asking if she could be his. Placing down his champagne glass, he stood. They were very close but for once Ben didn’t mind. Something about her spirit had drawn him to her, something about her was different. 

“I don’t know your name,” he said quietly, looking into her eyes. Now he was closer to her he could see them despite her mask, they were a beautiful light brown, ones you could easily get lost in. The woman gave him a shy smile, one so different from the snarky comments and smirks she had given him before, “I’m Rey.” she said. Rey. Like a ray of sunshine. 

“I’m Ben,” he replied, returning her smile, something that was unusual for him. 

Rey offered her hand again, “Well Ben, would you care to dance?” she asked, mockingly dipping into a small curtsey. Ben chuckled and took her hand, giving her a small bow, “It would be an honor.” he said. The feeling of her small hand in his made him shiver slightly. “Are you going to put your shoes on this?” he asked.

Rey shook her head, “No chance, those heels are evil.” Ben laughed before looking into her eyes, slightly entranced by her. They stood in silence for a few moments, simply holding onto each other’s hand. 

As the music transitioned into a new piece Rey gestured to the dance floor, “Shall we then?” Ben nodded and followed her into the center of the ballroom. For the first time that evening, he noticed how beautiful everything was. 

They stood in the center opposite each other, Rey slowly guided one of his hands to her waist where it rested over the small of her back. He noticed her breathing hitch slightly before he placed a hand on his shoulder and took the hand not on her waist in her own. “Do you know how to dance?” Ben whispered.

Rey shook her head, “I have no idea, but this is what they do in the movies.” she said. Ben could’ve sighed in relief, maybe he wouldn’t make such a fool of himself if he was dancing with someone as clueless as he was. “Thank god, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.” 

Rey smiled at him, “We’ll work it out together.” 

Slowly they began to move in time with the music, Ben being careful not to tread on her bare feet, the last thing he wanted to do was break her toes. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Poe pointing out that he was dancing to Finn who simply smiled. He caught Rose’s excited grin at the sight of him dancing and Armitage’s pleasant surprise. But he didn’t focus on them, he was focusing solely on the women in his arms, the women who add entranced him with her feisty spirit and words that could only be described as hopeful and ironically, magical. The universe had given him a chance, he’d be a fool if he didn’t take it.

As he moved around the ballroom the world faded away and it was just him and Rey, moving together. It were as if they were magnetically drawn to each other, did she feel it too? Or was he a fool who fallen at first sight despite how much he had slagged off the whole idea of the night being something out of a fairytale. 

He could feel himself moving closer to her, their chests pressed against each other as his heart pounded against his chest. Part of him felt the need to say something, ask her of she could feel what was going on between them. But he remained quiet afraid that she was simply taking pity in him and dancing with him out of kindness. And yet, she was looking up at him in a way that mirrored is own entrancement and bewilderment at the prospect of what was happening between them. 

Rey stood up on her tippy toes and whispered, “Is this real?” Ben looked at her and nodded slowly, it was starting to feel like a fairytale but it was very real. He never wanted it to end. He could dance to the ends of the earth with her in his arms. 

When the lead singer announced that it was the last dance before midnight he felt his chest tighten. What if he took his mask off and she decided she had changed her mind? That she thought he was weird and run away. Ben pushed the thought away and continued to dance. It was getting easier, they moved as one, anticipating each other’s every move as if they had been dancing together for years. They probably looked like fools doing all the wrong steps. But this wasn’t about other people, this was their dance.

He lifted her into the air as the music climaxed causing Rey to let out a surprised squeal as he, moved them around in a circle before lowering her again. Rey leaned close to him as she landed, her face coming dangerously close, their lips inches apart. He felt an incredible urge to kiss her. They stood looking into each other’s eyes. Panic washed over him and he quickly pulled back, failing to miss Rey’s slight disappointment. 

No, he couldn’t ruin this. Taking her hand Ben looked up at the clock, there were minutes to go so he made a bold choice, perhaps the boldest he had ever made. He led her away from the crowd and out of large glass doors and onto a balcony that looked out at the city. It was empty, everyone had retreated inside for the countdown. 

“Ben, what’s going on?” Rey asked she seemed worried about his sudden actions. 

“Call me crazy, but I want to start the New Year with you Rey, just you,” he said hurriedly, he didn’t have much time left before the clock struck twelve. “What do you mean?” Rey asked.

Ben took a deep breath, “I don’t know if you feel it too, but I can feel something special between us, maybe the universe is giving us both a shot.” he paused trying to understand her reaction. He expected her to slap him in the face and walk away. But she didn’t. Instead, she smiled at him, nodding slowly. “This doesn’t happen to me every day Rey, I couldn’t risk this chance passing me by.” 

Inside people had begun the countdown. 

“TEN!”

“And I want to start the New Year with you.”

There he’d done it, poured out his feelings to a woman he barely knew. Despiting not knowing her very long he figured, maybe they could be something special. 

“FIVE!”

Rey took a step forward, slowly raising her hand to cup his cheek. He felt his heart leap in his chest.

“THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Rey surged forward and pressed her lips to Ben’s as the sounds of fireworks went off in the distance. Around them, people were cheering and sing Auld Lang Syne. Ben was entirely focused on Rey as she kissed him. They pulled away for a moment and Ben gestured to their masks. 

They both raised their hands and pulled them away before seeing each other properly for the first time. 

Rey was beautiful. Before he had time to think he found himself kissing her again, lost in a daze with Rey in his arms. The gentle press of her lips drove him mad, he was head over heels already. She was intoxicating. 

Slowly they pulled away and Rey smiled at him, “Happy New Year Ben.” she whispered.

A large smile spread across his face, “Happy New Year Rey.” he said. 

Time seemed to stand still as he looked at the women in front of him. Maybe tonight had in fact ended with true love’s kiss. But Ben knew he and Rey were far from the end of their story, and yet he could already predict it’s ending. 

Because he was pretty sure it ended in Happily Ever After...

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this one let me know in the comments and maybe consider leaving kudos?
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr my name is reylotrash711 x


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